A GALLOWAY steel company is to close with the loss of 40 jobs in the region.

Solway Structural Steel announced this week it is planning to close its facilities in Creetown and in Killoch in Ayrshire within the next few months.

Stunned workers were told of the news on Monday – their first day back after the Christmas holidays.

A spokesman for Barr Ltd, which owns the company, said: “With the construction industry as a whole continuing to face severe challenges and the consequential demand for structural steel plummeting, trading at Solway had become increasingly demanding.

“The company announced it would be carrying out a review of the entire steel business in December but, with little prospect of trading conditions improving, Barr Limited has had to take the difficult decision to scale down and close the manufacturing facility.”

Nine workers were made redundant in November last year.

The following month the company began a 30-day consultation period – which had been due to last until February because of the Christmas holidays – with staff on the firm’s future.

However, they were told on Monday that the plug was being pulled, with up to 80 jobs being lost across the two sites.

One worker said: “There’s no way out and they’re not going to be tendering for work so everyone – directors, the drawing office, the steel workers – is out of work.

“They won’t be putting in for any more work, we’ll be finishing what we’ve got to do and that will be it.”

Solway Structural Steel’s facilities had been responsible for making a number of parts for new Tesco stores and football stadiums across the UK.

MP Russell Brown, who had met with the company’s management before Christmas, said: “This is a dark day for the workforce and it looks likely, despite the efforts of those involved to keep it going, that Solway Steel will be closed.”